While earning their degree, many students conduct a practicum or externship with a hospital or community health clinic such as the department's Meltzer Center. Some students also pursue teaching assistant positions and grant writing opportunities.

The PhD in cognitive neuroscience trains students to be independent scientists qualified to work at academic and research institutions.

Caroline Fitz Johnson

PhD ’14

"On a daily basis, I use the research and critical thinking skills I gained in graduate school to help clients achieve their goals."

Potential Career Paths

Department of Psychology doctoral program graduates go on to join clinical practices and start businesses, perform research, win Fulbright scholarships, teach, consult and take their skills to companies all over the world. Our graduates have been employed at hundreds of prestigious health care facilities, universities, businesses and nonprofits, including:

Bloomberg

Booz Allen Hamilton

Boston Children’s Hospital

Bryn Mawr

Children’s National Medical Center

Family Compass

George Washington University

Johns Hopkins University

Kennedy Krieger Institute

National Cancer Institute

Tufts University

University of Pennsylvania

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Navy

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Related Programs in Columbian College

GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences offers several other programs in psychology fields that are not administered by the Department of Psychology. Contact the offering department for further information.